The Stupid Gamer

November 5th, 2007 (today) marks the release for Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for Wii.  Following the footsteps of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube), this Strategy/RPG of epic proportions is sure to be the biggest Fire Emblem yet!

 

 

With over 38 Chapters, a whooping 72 recruitable character roster, and a fantastic storyline full of twists and deep character development, you can’t go wrong with what’s sure to be one of the year’s biggest RPG contenders.

Go buy it!

Why make a big deal about Zelda? We love it.  We’re sure you love it as well.  And if you don’t, then you’ve got big problems with Stupid Gamer.  Simple, no?  To celebrate the release of one of our most anticipated games of the year, here’s a list of 5 reasons why you should love The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass — Link’s latest appearance on videogames, and first official adventure on Nintendo DS. 

1) We enjoy touching Link.  Really, we do.

Nintendo really wanted to make The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass a game for everyone, and in doing so, completely changed the traditional control scheme that Zelda is known for.  But don’t worry, Link is still capable of doing everything we’ve done on previous Zelda titles like running, slashing with his sword, and picking and throwing pots.  Take a swipe at your screen and Link will take a swipe at his enemies.  Draw a circle, and Link will also make a spinning attack with his sword!  There’s nothing difficult to understand in Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and the control-scheme is sure to attract even the biggest Zelda skeptic. 

2) Need a Wind Waker? Nah, let it sleep.

The Wind Waker took a lot of criticism for its gorgeous, yet slightly tedious sailing portions.  You took out your magical Wind Waker, played a song for the winds, pick a direction for the wind to blow, and then open your sail to, well, sail.  Hmmm, come to think about it, it does sound a bit tedious.  It’s okay, though; Nintendo addressed the issue with new technology (this game takes place after the Wind Waker, after all — so technology has improved) in the form of a Steamboat!  No longer will you have to worry about having friendly winds, because all you need to do is draw a path for your boat, and let it follow its course! Easy and awesome.

3) Write it down on the map, Boy!

You seriously can’t tell us you’re a Zelda fan, and have never dreamed about being able to write clues and notes on your map before! Well, we have, and thanks to the Nintendo DS’s features, now we can! Remember all those broken walls you can bomb, but don’t have the bomb to do so?  Got a hint from a villager and don’t want to forget? How about learning a treasure location and can’t find pen and paper to write it down?  No worries, all you have to do is mark it on your map, and return when are able to complete the task.  Thanks to this new feature, you have no excuse to forget about anything!  And if that doesn’t make it easier for you, we don’t know what will.

4) Smaller Cel-da.  Nice Lookin’ Cel-da.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass has the honor of being the best looking game on the Nintendo DS.  What about Final Fantasy III, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, and Metroid Prime: Hunters?  Nope, this one looks better.  We don’t know how the development team pulled it off, but we really hope this engine is used in future titles because it is truly outstanding.  The sailing portions are as colorful as they were on GameCube, and the world is still as big as ever.  Who cares that it basically looks like a smaller version of The Wind Waker? Phantom Hourglass is as beautiful as any other Zelda game, making the presentation one of the best we’ve seen in the portable realm.

5) It’s Zelda.  Next Question!

In the end, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is another exceptional entry in the legendary franchise, and what better credential to show than that?  If all works well, and Nintendo gets away with their original plan with Phantom Hourglass, more gamers will be interested in trying out a Zelda game, which will bode will for the future of the franchise.   We’re pretty sure that anyone who plays Phantom Hourglass will be thrilled to experience the Zelda magic, and with a game that’s chock-full of the Zelda charm we all know and love, there’s no denying that The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the portable game to own in 2007. 

Nintendo has quietly announced the official box-art for what’s soon to become one of our favorite games here in the Stupid Gamer office… Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn!

The art, as usual, is some of the best we’ve seen so far, and the game is sure to be another hit by the geniuses at Intelligent Systems. We can’t wait!

According to a Joystiq report from PAX 07, Nintendo has quietly revealed the new subtitle for Intelligent Systems’s latest Fire Emblem masterpiece. The final name for the game will be Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Previously reffered to as Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn, Radiant Dawn will have everything a Fire Emblem nut can dream of: Beautiful storytelling, the tried-and-true Fire Emblem formula, and a ton of Chapters to keep you busy until the end of the year (as if you won’t be busy enough with the holiday line-up).

I just wish Nintendo would give the Fire Emblem a bit more attention, considering that the games in the franchise have always been solid, if not spectacular (haha!) productions. I know it’s easy to let games like these slip under the radar, especially when big hitters like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, and Smash Bros. Brawl coming out, but I’m sure that if you give it a chance, you won’t regret experiencing what all the Fire Emblem fuss is about.